Listen: Tshwane metro officials, MMCs face criminal investigations

Over 200 criminal charges and disciplinary proceedings are being investigated against Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) staff.

Former Tshwane MMC for community safety Grandi Theunissen also revealed that 54 officers have a criminal record for serious offences such as rape and murder.

Theunissen, a Freedom Front Plus member of the multi-party government, on Wednesday spoke to the press about the endorsement for candidate-mayor Cilliers Brink.

“Over 200 of the metro police officers have been charged on a disciplinary basis, while over 20 are charged criminally and arrested.

“Some cases are pending and others are ongoing in court.”

He said the investigations were mainly of extortion and corruption while other criminal records related to falsified documents during the application for posts.

“It is evident that the officers made false declarations on their applications when stating that they have no criminal records.”

Theunissen said the cases went back eight years – from ANC administration to date.

He said the shocking revelation was brought to the metro’s attention when the officers applied to renew their firearm permits.

“In the process of renewal, we need to check their criminal records, using fingerprints.”

He said the verification is ongoing and ‘the metro does not have the capacity internally’ to do the job hence the city manager’s approval had to be sought to for the appointment of a service provider to do so.

He said as part of consequence management, senior officials were among those facing criminal charges and disciplinary proceedings.

“This stems from forensic audits conducted years ago, however, the audits were in cabinets gathering dust. These audits have started to resurface and we are coming for these senior officials, councillors and service providers as we have the forensic information.”

He said disciplinary action would be taken and criminal charges laid against implicated staff.

“We hope to recover any monies [lost] in this process.”

Theunissen and ActionSA also welcomed the Rooiwal disciplinary action against Tshwane officials.

ActionSA Gauteng chairperson Bongani Baloyi said disciplinary action against officials implicated in the R295m Rooiwal wastewater works corruption scandal had commenced.

“The Tshwane Council passed a report on the forensic investigation into the appointment of the contractor to undertake the refurbishment of Rooiwal in October, after the report was deferred and delayed on numerous occasions.

“These disciplinary proceedings are borne from a motion brought by ActionSA earlier this year after the party found that work on the Rooiwal refurbishment stalled, which continued to negatively affect the drinking water of the communities of Rooiwal and Hammanskraal.”

EFF Tshwane chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu laid criminal charges of fraud and corruption against two ActionSA members and former MMCs Andre Roux, for economic development and spatial planning, and Kgosi Kgosiemang for housing in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

This as the ActionSA senate met recently to deliberate on the complaints against the two MMCs.

“It was brought to ActionSA’s attention that a property owner had communicated their intention to raise the asking price above an independent valuation, at least in part, because of a meeting held with the two ActionSA MMCs,” said party chairperson Michael Beaumont.

Beaumont said ActionSA would probe the matter and that they wrote to the speaker to ask Tshwane to investigate the conduct of the two MMCs.

“It is imperative, especially as it relates to the tenure of senior government officials, that further facts and evidence are gathered, that due process is afforded to the MMCs and that action is not taken prematurely that undermines the stability of our multi-party government.”